What self-respecting geek hasn’t heard of Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Never mind that the film came out over four decades ago; the frequently quoted from “Grail” is still as relevant today as it was then. Allusions to it are everywhere; quotes and references are used in popular culture in everything from television to song. This is the kind of stuff that quirky British humor is known for.

Monty Python began life as an absurdist British comedy troupe, whose individual members came together to form a comedy sketch show for British television, Monty Python’s Flying Circus. “The Holy Grail” was the troupe’s first original feature length film (they had created one before it which only recycled sketches used on their television show), and was filmed during a break between the third and fourth seasons of their television series.

The film follows King Arthur and his attempts to gather the best knights in the land to go on a quest. Once he has assembled a following of legendary knights, they find themselves at a loss for things to do until God himself hands them a quest to find the Holy Grail. What follows is a madcap series of misadventures and satire that not only lampoons Arthurian legend itself, but how films are made in general. Frequently, there are scenes in which the 4th wall are broken, such as the casual reference to “The man from scene 24” regarding an unnamed character, and a scene in which a character muses as to whether or not her scene was excessive and should be cut (to which other characters reply “Just get on with it!”) Other gags involve subtitles that go off on a tangent and a list of “extras”, such as shouting for the hearing impaired and subtitles for “people who hate subtitles” that replace the film’s script with passages from Shakespeare (Do not worry though; there are “normal” subtitles available for the people who do need them). The most recent DVD release is loaded with plenty of extras, including a copy of an audio cd recording of "The Holy Grail" performed live as a play adaptation, several documentaries and interviews, and much more. The remastering of the film has been performed expertly, and makes the visuals seem much more vital than most films from the same era.

The result is a film that feels as if it was made by a group of college kids with homemade ideas, but has the impact of a high-stakes comedy. The absurdist humor is funny enough that anyone should be able to find plenty of laughs in this film; despite the film’s being very British, it won’t go over the heads of people raised in other nationalities. The acting is decent, but most of the comedy comes in through clever writing. Some of the best scenes in the film are those in which the characters trade banter, such as the Frenchman’s taunts and the riddle sequence at the bridge. The writing here is very clever.

In short, this film is a must-see. The humor of Monty Python endures; these are the guys who originated several memes and inspired many others with their works. While the film may not be of the best quality, the humor more than makes up for it, and in fact, the film’s glaringly low budget  actually increases the impact of many jokes (such as the fact that all the knights are horseless, accompanied by pages banging coconuts together to simulate equestrian sound-effects).